Leaders need the courage to stand up

By Carol Opdyke

Friday

Mar 9, 2018 at 6:00 AM

It is going to take the concerted effort of our local, state and national government officials and the NRA to come together and establish laws designed to keep our schools and other public gathering places safe. It is necessary to set aside the lobbyist mindsets and the political affiliations and look directly into the eyes of the families who have lost loved ones, the eyes of the wounded both physically and emotionally, and the eyes of the potential victims.

The NRA and government officials can protect the Second Amendment and can protect the rights of legal gun owners and still affect change. However, we have reached the critical time in our country when our leaders need to take a good look at the prevailing laws and to have the courage to stand up for what they know in their hearts is in the best interest of our citizens.

It is so very sad to know that the NRA holds so much power over our elected officials and this organization is able to hold our country hostage when it comes to gun regulations. I appreciate the Second Amendment but also recognize the infancy of our country when it was created. We have amended many aspects of our constitution over these last 200-plus years, and I am wondering why we cannot amend aspects of the Second Amendment to include the rights and safety of our citizens and the right to own a gun.

The makeup of guns was quite different in 1776 as was the makeup of our country. Guns have evolved beyond what our founding fathers had in mind; into weapons of mass destruction far beyond what is needed to protect ourselves, our property and our loved ones. Hunting has its own rules and regulations. Hunters must have a license and must register their guns and are held to a high standard when it comes to their sport. This is a steadfast tradition of our country and is not part of the issue of school violence and mass shootings.

Let's look at the changes needed:

Semiautomatic weapons should be banned for use by citizens and reserved for the military who are protecting our country.Raise the legal age to buy a gun to 21, and background checks should go beyond just criminal records.Everyone purchasing a gun should be registered in a national registry for background checks so that no one falls through the cracks.Ban any semiautomatic weapon and other weapon of mass destruction as well as bump stocks.Ban selling guns and gun parts online where no background check is required.Regulate gun stores and gun shows so that comprehensive background checks are completed before anyone can purchase a gun.Provide manpower for close monitoring of websites and social media where potential shooters parade their thoughts and violent intended acts.Support the mental health community by providing additional funding needed for comprehensive treatment and research.Challenge the video entertainment community with the opportunity to evaluate the impact of violent video games on our young people.Eliminate video games that have no purpose except negative sensationalism and a purposeful degrading of the value of human life.

To our government officials who are supported by the NRA and may not vote for those changes because they lack the fortitude to stand up to those powerful lobbyists, egocentric thinking has no place here. Make the right decisions to protect our most important natural resource — our children.

Carol Opdyke is a resident of Hatfield.

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